T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 Without 4G LTE Could be Deal Breaker

Yesterday, Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for a number of U.S. carriers including T-Mobile. And while the Galaxy Note 2 will run on the 4G LTE networks of AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and U.S. Cellular, it looks like the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 won’t have support for T-Mobile’s upcoming 4G LTE network.

TMoNews has leaked a specification sheet for the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 reveals that while the Galaxy Note 2 for T-Mobile will feature support for the carrier’s HSPA+ 42 network, it doesn’t mention anything about having support for 4G LTE.

We should point out that the sheet also mentions Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a quad-core processor, and a 5.5-inch screen, all features coming with the Galaxy Note 2 that’s set to launch in the U.S.

However, that missing 4G LTE support may be a deal killer for those that were hoping to see a device capable of pulling down 4G LTE data speeds from T-Mobile when the carrier launches its 4G LTE network.

Now, it appears that customers are going to have to sign a new two-year contract for a device that will be running on an outdated network in a few months time.

The T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 may arrive without 4G LTE support.

HSPA+ 42 is by no means slow but it’s certainly not as fast as a 4G LTE network which provides data speeds that can reach up to 10 times faster than typical 3G speeds.

And by committing to 4G LTE next year, T-Mobile is acknowledging that 4G LTE and not HSPA+ is the future. And unfortunately, it looks like those looking to get the Galaxy Note 2 won’t be able to enjoy that future.

T-Mobile hasn’t confirmed anything yet so there still is hope for LTE support but at this point, it’s looking bleak.

The reason for a LTE deployment has little to do with today’s speeds, but potential future capability. Rest assured, a T-Mobile Note II using HSDPA+ 42 will perform similarly to an LTE AT&T Note II. Whether that will be true of a potential Note III is another matter!

EXACTLY sleekimager! I agree with you. I love these articles that try to (indirectly) talk people out of going to, or staying with, T-Mobile because of it’s lack of LTE! I have awesome Data speeds with my HSPA+ and excellent call quality with TMO and can’t wait to get my Note 2 on T-Mobile! Even if I’m in an area where it’s iffy, I use my WiFi. Anyone thinking of going or staying with another carrier, just because of the lack of LTE, will be paying more per month and have faster draining batteries. I currently have 5 lines and can’t see paying more just to get an LTE service that is ‘supposedly’ faster!

I agree. notice that its say 10 times of the speed of 3g. not even comparing LTE Megabits to T Mobiles HSPA+ Megabits transfer speeds. T Mobile once again allows the public to know what their actually getting for a speed. 42megabits per a second is blazing fast, really anything faster than this on a phone isn’t even necessary. What is 42 Megabits? well the general rule is if you divide by 8.2 you’ll get the size of the file in which it was able to deliver in just one second of time. that’s 4.15 Megabytes. equal to a MP3 file of your favorite song, but wait your song it still playing for the next four minutes yet it only took a second to download.

now lets compare that to a video, most videos of standard quality are about 65 MB, divide by 4.15, it took only 16 seconds and you’ll be watching that video for 10 minutes. HD music video is 150 MB which would be about 40 seconds to download and yet you’re still watching it for 5 times longer.

in any case, my point, there’s no buffer, then play for a few more seconds then buffer… its streaming and downloading while you play, with the transfer rate 5 to 6 times faster so you never have to wait for the video nor have the buffer effect.

+1 even with my older htc g2, i’m getting around 7 mbps down and 5 mbps up. unless you just want the bragging rights to say you have the fastest speed, i really don’t see the point! I’m sticking with t-mobile and will love to see when this phone is available.

i wouldnt switch anything i am commited to tmobile. they are the only company that gets service in my area if tried every other company and no service. slow and steady wiins the race and to tmobile company good things come to those who wait.

I’m moving from Sprint to Tmobile either way, 4g Wimax is a battery eating joke, their 3g sux, and over all Tombiles “fake 4g” may not be real 4g, but it is fast enough for me to do the things I want, Im not a brand name baby and by the time 4G LTE is rolled out all over, I’m sure I’ll have a new phone + I originally came from T-mobile, they have AWESOME customer support in comparison to the rest I’ve dealt with!

This is a deal breaker for me. I am actually very excited about this phone, and was planning to switch to it without hesitation… but if it really doesn’t support a network that they know they are going to roll out six months into the future… well, the investment doesn’t seem worth it. It’d be smarter to just wait.

i have been with tmobile since i beleive it was called Voicestream. im going on 12+ yrs with tmobile and have no complains, started with android since the G1, then the Mytouch slide, then G2, now i have the Mytouch 4G Slide, my speed is super fast, fast enough for my needs. might jump onto a Galaxy S 3, but i think ill wait until next year to see what LTE phones tmobile comes out with. Tmobile #1!!!! lol

Ironically, due to T-Mobile’s unpopularity, my HSPA+ speeds are faster than my friends Verizon and AT&T 4G LTE speeds since there are fewer people crowding the network (in the city at least). So basically, if you wait for LTE on T-Mobile, you will have much faster speeds than Verizon or AT&T. But if you get HSPA+ now, it’ll be pretty much the same if not a bit faster.
Also, is it possible they just didn’t list it, but will build it into the phone? I mean, it’s kind of pointless for T-Mobile to list a feature the network doesn’t have yet, as most smartphone users aren’t that educated about the difference between having a feature on their phone and having it on the network. Then, they’d get confused and think T-Mobile was trying to trick them, leading to lawsuits and all sorts of legal haberdashery (yes, I know that means hat-making).

I moved from Sprint to Tmobile and am very satisfied with the speeds. Much Faster then the Sprint 4G and the price I pay for 5 lines was the same price I paid for 2 Lines with sprint. I will be staying with Tmobile and cant wait for the Galaxy Note 2!

Yes its future proof. Built into Tmo Note 2 is LTE. Gonna be first phone on their new LTE network to work. In San Diego Tmo HSPA+42 is currently consistently faster than the other carriers. It crushes joke Sprint network 3G and Wimax and goes toe to toe with At&T and Verizon speeds topped off with true Unlimited 15megs a second data here. The real cherrytopper is when they launch its gonna be true 4G LTE Advanced right out the gate. Have fun on other carriers people.

Hopefuly the LTE is built into the phone and just not turned on. Now that TMobile is going to merge with Metro PCS, it will improve the coverage area of the LTE deployment and hopefully Tmobile can add 4g to those towers to improve regular coverage

I just hope it’s a possibility, since if you guys didn’t know, but originally both the 1900 bands and the 1700 AWS bands they were using for 3G, and now that they are refarming, hopefully they can do a “future” firmware update to enable the 1700AWS for LTE on this phone, and say “hey you guys can get it now, since this phone will practically be the same across the board! (crossing fingers) otherwise, i might just want to get a Verizon Note 2 if this is true….